Evening all (well it is here :-)).

I've got a Mk1 Colchester Student lathe.

Just been cutting thread on a bit of bar with a left-hand die, and to do
this I reversed the motor so that it ran backwards. In this case, it was a
short, easy job at very low speed, so I wasn't worried about damaging the
machine.

However, it got me to wondering whether or not it *is* OK to run the Student
backwards - if so, it'd be a relatively simple job to arrange switchgear to
reverse the motor, rather than crawling around under the back of the machine
moving wires and links about.

The chuck is pretty unlikely to come undone, and I don't think anything else
in the drive train is threaded on and therefore likely to come loose.

On the same subject - anyone know of any spares for this machine? I'm
looking for among other things the tool for undoing the chuck (American
L-zero fitting, looks like it should be a sod-off C spanner) and also the
internal parts of the brake, which are missing.
--
Austin Shackles. www.ddol-las.net my opinions are just that
"The boys are dreaming wicked or of the bucking ranches of the night and
the jollyrodgered sea." Dylan Thomas (1914 - 1953) Under milk wood

"Austin Shackles" wrote in message
...

Evening all (well it is here :-)).

I've got a Mk1 Colchester Student lathe.

Just been cutting thread on a bit of bar with a left-hand die, and
to do
this I reversed the motor so that it ran backwards. In this case,
it was a
short, easy job at very low speed, so I wasn't worried about
damaging the
machine.

However, it got me to wondering whether or not it *is* OK to run the
Student
backwards - if so, it'd be a relatively simple job to arrange
switchgear to
reverse the motor, rather than crawling around under the back of the
machine
moving wires and links about.

The chuck is pretty unlikely to come undone, and I don't think
anything else
in the drive train is threaded on and therefore likely to come
loose.

On the same subject - anyone know of any spares for this machine?
I'm
looking for among other things the tool for undoing the chuck
(American
L-zero fitting, looks like it should be a sod-off C spanner) and
also the
internal parts of the brake, which are missing.
--
Austin Shackles. www.ddol-las.net my opinions are just that
"The boys are dreaming wicked or of the bucking ranches of the night
and
the jollyrodgered sea." Dylan Thomas (1914 - 1953) Under milk wood

Austin,

No problem reversing the Student - the L0 fitting is ok for reversing
due to the key on the taper. There is a Yahoo group for Colchester
Lathes http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Colche...-User/messages -
you have to register, and the moderator is sometimes rather slow doing
his bit but lots of useful information.

ps have you escaped from the Landrover list !!!!

AWEM

On or around Tue, 13 Dec 2005 20:05:34 +0000 (UTC), "Andrew Mawson"
enlightened us thusly:

Austin,

No problem reversing the Student - the L0 fitting is ok for reversing
due to the key on the taper. There is a Yahoo group for Colchester
Lathes http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Colche...-User/messages -
you have to register, and the moderator is sometimes rather slow doing
his bit but lots of useful information.

ps have you escaped from the Landrover list !!!!

hehe. Nah, I'm still there as well.

I'll have a hunt for a suitable DPDT switch. Luckily, we're on single phase
here so it's not too many connections to shunt around to reverse it.

All it needs then is a decent sized motor. Currently has a 1.5HP, which is
not really enough - ISTR the student originally had a 3HP motor.
--
Austin Shackles. www.ddol-las.net my opinions are just that
"The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep."
Robert Frost (1874-1963) from Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

They came with both 3-phase and single phase motors, but since the
Student MK I was intended for home/small shop use 3 HP sounds pretty
big.

Austin Shackles wrote:

All it needs then is a decent sized motor. Currently has a 1.5HP, which is
not really enough - ISTR the student originally had a 3HP motor.

"Mike Berger" wrote in message
...
They came with both 3-phase and single phase motors, but since the
Student MK I was intended for home/small shop use 3 HP sounds pretty
big.

Austin Shackles wrote:

All it needs then is a decent sized motor. Currently has a 1.5HP,
which is
not really enough - ISTR the student originally had a 3HP motor.

The Colchester Student was NEVER intended for home use !!!!!!

Schools, colleges and aprentice training schools yes. Small shop yes.

AWEM

Why would you want to make LH threads by reversing the lathe? You just
reverse the feed and cut left to right, at least that's how I do it.
Bugs

On or around Tue, 13 Dec 2005 18:00:34 -0600, Mike Berger
enlightened us thusly:

They came with both 3-phase and single phase motors, but since the
Student MK I was intended for home/small shop use 3 HP sounds pretty
big.


the 1.5 on it won't actually run it at maximum (1200) speed. Not enough
starting torque to accelerate it. It also won't start at speeds over 500
until it's been running for a while and has gotten warm. Long term, I want
a 3HP motor and a bigger starter switch - this one has an 8.summat amp
cutout, which is fine once running but if you try to start it from cold in
too high a gear it cuts out before it's up to speed.
--
Austin Shackles. www.ddol-las.net my opinions are just that
In Touch: Get in touch with yourself by touching yourself.
If somebody is watching, stop touching yourself.
from the Little Book of Complete B***ocks by Alistair Beaton.

On or around 14 Dec 2005 06:34:01 -0800, "Bugs"
enlightened us thusly:

Why would you want to make LH threads by reversing the lathe? You just
reverse the feed and cut left to right, at least that's how I do it.
Bugs

if you read the original post more closely, I was using an LH die in a
dieholder in the tailstock chuck. This is an 8M1.25 thread on an 8mm bar.

I agree that in general it should be possible to cut LH threads as you
describe, with a suitable tool or chaser, but I doubt it'd be easy to get a
decent result on the 8mm bar.

for cutting threads on a large job, I'd do it as you describe.
--
Austin Shackles. www.ddol-las.net my opinions are just that
If all be true that I do think, There are five reasons we should drink;
Good wine, a friend, or being dry, Or lest we should be by and by;
Or any other reason why. - Henry Aldrich (1647 - 1710)

This web page disagrees with you, where it says:

The names "Student" and "Master" (of both the Mk. 1 and Mk. 2
designations) refer, in effect, to the centre height and bed length -
the Student being 6" x 24" and the Master 6.5" x 30" - for, in all other
respects, the lathes were identical. As standard, for the home market,
both lathes were fitted with a dual English/metric screwcutting gearbox
but a cheaper "Dominion" model was also offered that had an English-only
screwcutting gearbox (though with two additional pitches of 11.5 and 23
tpi), a

http://www.lathes.co.uk/colchester/page2.html

Andrew Mawson wrote:

The Colchester Student was NEVER intended for home use !!!!!!

Schools, colleges and aprentice training schools yes. Small shop yes.

AWEM

Andrew Mawson wrote:

The Colchester Student was NEVER intended for home use !!!!!!

Schools, colleges and aprentice training schools yes. Small shop
yes.

AWEM

"Mike Berger" wrote in message
...
This web page disagrees with you, where it says:

The names "Student" and "Master" (of both the Mk. 1 and Mk. 2
designations) refer, in effect, to the centre height and bed
length -
the Student being 6" x 24" and the Master 6.5" x 30" - for, in all
other
respects, the lathes were identical. As standard, for the home
market,
both lathes were fitted with a dual English/metric screwcutting
gearbox
but a cheaper "Dominion" model was also offered that had an
English-only
screwcutting gearbox (though with two additional pitches of 11.5 and
23
tpi), a

http://www.lathes.co.uk/colchester/page2.html

Mike,

Missunderstanding of English phrases here !!!!! "Home Market" is a
term we use for selling into the UK as opposed to "Overseas Market"
and does not refer to selling to homes !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (what a lovely
thought G garden/backyard lorry/truck got/gotten lift/elevator - two
countries divided by a common lanuage)

AWEM

On or around Thu, 15 Dec 2005 16:55:48 -0600, Mike Berger
enlightened us thusly:

respects, the lathes were identical. As standard, for the home market,
both lathes were fitted with a dual English/metric screwcutting gearbox
but a cheaper "Dominion" model was also offered that had an English-only
screwcutting gearbox (though with two additional pitches of 11.5 and 23
tpi), a

yeah, but "home market" in this context refers to machines intended for the
UK, as opposed to overseas.
--
Austin Shackles. www.ddol-las.net my opinions are just that
"I am tired and sick of war. Its glory is all moonshine... War is hell"
Gen. Sherman (1820-1891) Attr. words in Address at Michigan Military
Academy, 19 June 1879.

According to Andrew Mawson :

[ ... ]

Missunderstanding of English phrases here !!!!! "Home Market" is a
term we use for selling into the UK as opposed to "Overseas Market"
and does not refer to selling to homes !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (what a lovely
thought G garden/backyard lorry/truck got/gotten lift/elevator - two
countries divided by a common lanuage)

Hmm ... here (USA) a backyard may *contain* a garden, or even
*be* a garden.

The difference (for us) is between an area for general use and
one specifically dedicated to the growing of cultivated plants -- either
food plants or flowers.

Enjoy,
DoN.

--
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